[SethsMX83]

I’d like to share some of these pictures of my 7mge. These pictures are some places of concern. The water pump looks nasty, the front of the motor has seen better days (that’s coolant underneath the motor in the pan), and the entirety of the motor and transmission are CAKED with nastiness, as pictured in the last photo. I plan to take the block to get inspected for any damage soon, but wanted your guys’ professional opinion on whether or not I should rebuild this 7m or just junk the thing. Keep in mind, I’m only 16, and make minimum wage, haha! Thanks!

 

[chaotic5555]

Dirty doesn't equal broken.

Corrosion or gunk near the water pump area isn't crazy to see neither is the buildup of the black goo near what looks like the rear of the motor to the bellhousing. This won't tell you if a rebuild is required, all it tells you is that the coolant could use a few flushes and a steamer/degreaser could go to town to clean everything up.

You're better off pulling the valve covers and taking a look at the cams, checking the oil for any metal bits or other fluids, or pulling the spark plugs and inserting a borescope to take a look at the cylinder walls.

 

[SethsMX83]

Got it! Thanks for the help!

 

[omicca]

Hmmm that looks like cooloil™ milkshake to me. I'd do what chaotic said, to see if there's a milkshake in the crank case too.
What would your plans be for the motor? NA-T? Stock rebuild?

 

[SethsMX83]

For the time being, just a stock rebuild, eventually the plan was to go na-t, I’ve picked up a few 7mgte bits here and there but honestly I like the sound of a 2jzge swap.

 

[omicca]

Oh yeah now you're talkin. Rev up that wallet son.
How much do you like that mk3? Cause you'll save about $10k if you start with an IS300 instead.

 

[SethsMX83]

Yikes, haha! Guess the 7m will have to do for now! Pretty sick that you have an na-t 2j swap, that sounds awesome!

 

[SethsMX83]

If that yummy gunk were to be found in the crank case what would that mean for the health of the motor? And if it were bad, would it be fixable or would I need to replace a few things

 

[omicca]

Yikes, haha! Guess the 7m will have to do for now! Pretty sick that you have an na-t 2j swap, that sounds awesome!

Thanks man. It's a blast. Starting to understand that "project cars are never finished" saying though.

If that yummy gunk were to be found in the crank case what would that mean for the health of the motor? And if it were bad, would it be fixable or would I need to replace a few things

Full motor rebuild.
Best case - block bath, new bearings, hone cylinders, deck block/head for MLS, ARP head studs, oem main bolts, DM oil pump + tube, full reseal kit. That'll give you a nice stout base for future turbo activities. I'd allocate $1500 for that.

Worst case - crank/cylinders/cams toast. Then you're looking at oversized pistons, sourcing a new crank, line hone, new cams, rods, plus everything in the best case. So like $6k+. If the cam journals in the head are toast, you'll need a new head too. Good luck finding one.

So uhh yeah it really depends. Minimum if you find smoothie in the crank case, engine's gotta come apart fully.

 

[SethsMX83]

Good to know good to know, thanks a bunch! I appreciate it a TON more than you know! I’ll be sure to report back once it’s all apart to see what you guys can find wrong! Thanks again!

 

[Bruder]

It will be necessary to do a complete tear down and clean up to evaluate each part. An engine is only as strong as its weakest link. Here's a photo of severe block rot where the cooling passage is rotted up to the fire ring of the number 6 cylinder. I tossed this block and found something acceptable. This was a supposedly rebuilt engine that turned out to be a total fiasco. When you build something yourself, you know what you have.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Seth, consider posting where you live. Often someone here lives in the area and may be willing to give you eyes on opinions that are priceless.